Category Archives: pots and containers

Tropicalissimo Redux

Posted on August 2, 2011 by Denise

Anybody remember “tropicalissimo”? In gardening, it references a word used maybe a decade ago for the then-shocking innovation of incorporating tropicals in summer borders and containers. A fairly mundane practice now. Somewhat counter-intuitively, I’ve found these plants, the alocasia, colocasias, … Continue reading →

Posted in design, pots and containers | Tagged ' Plant Delights Nursery, Colocasia esculenta 'Diamond Head', Colocasia esculenta 'Mojito', tropicalissimo, Xanthosoma 'Lime Zinger' | 4 Comments

Occasional Daily Photo 7/29/11

Posted on July 29, 2011 by Denise

Echeveria ‘Afterglow’ and Allium senescens. This little mid summer-flowering onion is sweet consolation for an allium-less garden up to this point. Unlike me, the early-blooming, flamboyant drumstick alliums don’t enjoy a zone 10 garden and prefer chillier winters. And although … Continue reading →

Posted in design, Occasional Daily Photo, Plant Portraits, pots and containers, succulents | Tagged Allium senescens, Echeveria 'Afterglow' | 2 Comments

Summer’s Bounty

Posted on July 24, 2011 by Denise

Man cannot live by tomatoes alone. (The first dahlia opened today.) There’s no way I’m going to keep the garden moist enough simply for a few dahlias to thrive, but I’d hate to face August and September without them. So … Continue reading →

Posted in Bulbs, edibles, pots and containers | Tagged dahlias, San Marzano tomato | 9 Comments

Sherman Gardens & Library

Posted on July 22, 2011 by Denise

I took the day off yesterday to check out some local nurseries for dahlias and eucomis in flower. (All my eucomis were bought as bulbs, some with leaves purportedly of varieties as dark or darker than ‘Oakhurst,’ but all instead … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, design, garden travel, garden visit, Plant Portraits, pots and containers, succulents | Tagged Agave 'Royal Spine', Agave ferdinandi-regis, Agave macroacantha 'Blue Ribbon', Agave ovatifolia, Begonia luxurians, Echinocactus grusonii, Eriogonum giganteum, Matthew V. Maggio, Nicolaia elatior, Pacific Horticulture, Sherman Library & Gardens, succulent garden | 7 Comments

Sean Hogan at Flora Grubb Gardens

Posted on July 18, 2011 by Denise

On Sunday, July 17, 2011, Sean Hogan of Cistus Nursery, Portland, Oregon, gave a talk at Flora Grubb Gardens in San Francisco, California, entitled “The Art of the Rosette.” I’ve visited Cistus Nursery twice, so I know first-hand that it’s … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, Bulbs, MB Maher, pots and containers, succulents, The Hortorialist | Tagged Agave 'Spot', Agave schidigera 'Black Widow', Agave schidigera 'Durango Delight', Agave schidigera 'Shira ito no Ohi', Aloe 'Brass Hat', Cistus Nursery, eucomis, Flora Grubb Gardens, Hechtia texensis, Mangave 'Bloodspot', Mangave undulata 'Chocolate Chips', Opuntia fragilis, Plantlust, Sean Hogan, Tradescantia sillamontana, Yucca angustissima 'Southside', Yucca nana, Yucca rostrata 'Sapphire Skies' | 6 Comments

Succulent Experiments

Posted on July 13, 2011 by Denise

Crassula expansa subsp. fragilis was planted this past May in these car jack stands, using window screening to hold the soil in, first pictured here near the bottom of the post. Unlike my mossy experiments, this crassula is growing much … Continue reading →

Posted in design, garden ornament, pots and containers, succulents | Tagged Building REsources, Chinese fringe tree, Chionanthus retusus, Crassula expansa subsp. fragilis, Crassula pellucida var. marginalis, Lotusland | 6 Comments

Occasional Daily Photo 7/11/11

Posted on July 11, 2011 by Denise

Brugmansia hybrid ‘Charles Grimaldi.’ Incredibly voluptuous, scented trumpets…on a plant that rivals the hybrid tea rose for awkward growth and ugly legs. Just haven’t found the right approach yet to placing these subtropical shrubs in a zone 10 landscape, where … Continue reading →

Posted in Occasional Daily Photo, Plant Portraits, pots and containers | Tagged ' Brugmansia 'Charles Grimaldi | 7 Comments

Occasional Daily Photo 7/7/11

Posted on July 7, 2011 by Denise

Echeveria runyonii ‘Topsy Turvy’ in an urn at Big Daddy’s. (At the end of the month, Big Daddy’s will be moving from its Gardena location to Culver City and may possibly be more inclined to discount inventory rather than pack … Continue reading →

Posted in design, garden ornament, Occasional Daily Photo, pots and containers, succulents | Tagged Big Daddy's Antiques, Echeveria runyonii 'Topsy Turvy | 3 Comments

Plant Societies

Posted on July 4, 2011 by Denise

Why has it taken me so long to check out local plant societies? I’ve been a member of the various conservancies, The Mediterranean Garden Society, but membership was mostly in a passive sense, as a means to attend tours and … Continue reading →

Posted in agaves, woody lilies, garden travel, garden visit, Plant Portraits, pots and containers, shop talk, succulents | Tagged Agave americana var. striata, Cactus and Succulent Society of America, Dominguez Rancho Adobe, Inter-City Cactus Show & Sale, Long Beach Cactus Club, Los Angeles Arboretum, Nazca lines, Peru, The Mediterranean Garden Society, Woody Minnich | 8 Comments

Garden Tasks, Dogs & Productivity

Posted on June 18, 2011 by Denise

I work at home most days of the week and keep this guy fairly close all day. Working alone all day with a dog instead of people has some interesting ramifications. I’m not sure if it makes me any more … Continue reading →

Posted in Plant Portraits, pots and containers, shop talk, succulents | Tagged "Dogs Make Employees More Productive At Work", Douglas Adams, Echeveria, Heliophila longifolia, Isoplexis isabelliana, moving plants | 5 Comments